Keeper of the Flame - Is It Love? Colin Fan Fic #2

Chapter 24

As we climb into the bus I sit on the couch that's stretched along one of the windows, Colin casually comes and sits beside me putting the book down on the table across from us. He pulls me into his lap as the vehicle starts rumbling along its way his lips caressing the outline of my neck as I feel him relax. "That was sweet of you." His teeth playfully graze my shoulder and he growls "I don't do sweet." I laugh and bring a hand up to his cheek "Yes you do, and you just did for those boys back there." He sighs as he puts his hand on mine pulling it from his cheek and kisses my palm. "I can't blame them for their mother's misdeeds." I nod as he goes silent for a bit "They did take the time to make that." He nods to the book and I stretch forward to grab it, he holds me against him with both arms while I open it and flip through the pages. He looks over my shoulder while I turn page after page, occasionally one hand will come off of me to flick over a page or hold it there for a moment. It's mostly a photo album of them growing up, it holds photos, accomplishments, stories little things about each of the boys. He rests his chin on me his hair between us as his face touches mine. "Issack at that age looks almost identical to Josh...." He lifts his hand and taps a photo. "A few differences obviously but so similar." I turn towards him "Are you going to keep in touch?" closing the book and setting it down I turn to face him better "I'm going to try, but I make no promises."

I smile and we spend time chatting and watching three scenery go past. The bus ride is only 3 hours to Edinburgh, the next stop on the tour. We're staying in the buses the next few stops, just for simplicity then will move back to hotels as we move along with longer periods between each concert. Once we arrive at the stadium the buses park side by side the two crew buses hold 8 members per bus including the drivers and we hire extra roadies per stop, our bus is set up with a single bed and regular amenities like shower and mini kitchen. We spend time mingling with crews and discussing plans for the next day. After a few hours and as the summer sun sets we head back to our bus.

Colin grabs a couple beers and we sit side by side just relaxing. I play with the label on my bottle as we stretch out watching the crew outside, his arm behind me his fingers playing in my hair he takes a long swig of his beer, and looks at me from the corner of his eye biting his lip "Tell me about her." His question catches me off guard "About her?" I ask and turn my head towards him.

"Yeah, tell me about your mother." I tense at my memories and his hand slowly massages my neck, I know why he's asking and we did spend some time talking about his family on the ride here. We've talked about my family in the past but it's one of those things I've tried to cut out of my life with the exception of my dad who is trying, and who I've kept in contact with since we left. "What do you want to know?" my voice is already taut.

"Anything, you rarely speak about her. I hear of your father, cousins and so forth, but you've never really told me about her." his supporting and powerful blue eyes penetrate mine as I look up at him and I sigh "She's a high class debutant and wanted to raise me to be the same, she wanted the perfect daughter, the princess per say. When I first met Doris and she called me a school choir and daddy's girl after that concert, she wouldn't of been that far off. Honestly Colin, if you had met me before I left Rochester you would of hated me, I wasn't even close to the unsure girl you met, I was that girl, living my life how I was supposed to, not how I really wanted to be." He pulls me closer and sets his lips on my temple. "I'm sure I would of warmed up to you eventually." He smiles into my hair and I laugh coldly "Maybe, but my mother would of never permitted me to see you or even go to a concert. I would of had to ask permission from Samuel as well. " I shift uncomfortably under his arm and he runs his fingers along my arm relaxing me instantly. "She expected me to be the model daughter, and move from that mold into the model stay at home wife. Dreams were just that, dreams. Oh I could have my hobbies like playing piano or keyboard, but it was a hobby nothing more, and heaven forbid I even consider getting a job or being self sufficient. My job was to get married to the person they approved of, have babies, host parties and join the PTA. Never step out of the line she drew for me and do what I was told when. The fact I wanted to work, play piano  professionally, live the life I wanted was unacceptable to her." I sigh again the air tearing my lungs "My mother wanted me to live the life she had, dull and uneventful. I think she was disappointed with her life and she made it her plot in life to make mine a failure as well. The day I told her I  was moving to New York she told me I was nothing but a dimwit heading out on some harebrained idea and that I was going nowhere, that I'd be back in Rochester within a month. I think I worked harder just to prove her wrong. The few times I tried talking to her she made it very clear that I was a letdown." He hugs me close his lips still on my temple. "I will be completely honest, I truly believe that at this point she really wishes that she didn't have to claim me as hers. I'm the rebellious black sheep, and that this is all just a ploy to make her look poorly in the eyes of her high class friends." I roll my eyes and it's time for me to run my hand through my hair "I'm the disappointment."

"You're no disappointment Kitten, you've never once shown me that, you raise too every challenge, even if that challenge is a stubborn rocker who refuses to yield even slightly. If she wants to think that way it's her problem." I nod, fighting the tears that threaten to fall as I think of the things she most likely says about me to my old friends and their families, I have moved on, but it still hurts to think my own mother could speak ill of me.

"What's worse is the fact that she probably tells all of her friends that I've been brainwashed or am on drugs as that's the only explanation, that I possibly can't be living the life I want, with the man I want," I look up at him as a tear slips from my eye, he catches it on his thumb as I continue "the man I need...." he shifts me to take possession of my lips with his and as he pulls away slightly a wicked smirk plays on his lips as a devilish glare fills his sensational crystalline irises.

"I look forward to meeting her." I groan at the thought and he kisses me again, his tongue playing with mine.